Fire-alarm.



- W. G. MATTHIAS.

1 FIRE ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1909.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

amuontoz I/Vi m zones MIL W. C. MATTHIAS.

FIRE ALARM.

APPLICATION rum: MAR. 9, 1909.

Patented 0011.4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WILLIAM C. MATTHIAS, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ALARM.

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T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM C. MAT- rrrras, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FireAlar1ns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the well known fire alarm system employing fire alarm boxes for sending in calls to the central stations. These boxes are set in convenient and public places, and to prevent unnecessary or pernicious tampering, they are usually locked, the keys being in the possession of nearby residents or responsible citizens. But misunderstandings and dangerous delays have occurred in securing a key to a box in emergencies, and my object is to provide a receptacle for the key located close beside the box or made part of the same, so arranged that while the key may be quickly and easily secured by anyone, the withdrawal of the same from the receptacle will give immediate notice to the public by the sounding of a gong, and at the same time notify a central station or stations.

The invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel. features are pointed out in the subjoined claims.

Figure 1 is a front view of a key receptacle and special signal box embodying my' invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Figs. 4c, 5, and 6 are sectional details showing more clearly the construction. Fig. 7 is a view showing the relation of my key receptacle and special signal box to the ordinary fire box.

The preferred construction shown in the drawings comprises a box 1, secured in a convenient place adjacent a fire alarm box A, and provided with a hinged door 2, a portion 3 of which as shown is made of glass. l/Vithin this box the key L to the fire alarm box A is placed, being preferably strung upon a member 5 as shown of a key supporting device, and so hung thereon as to be plainly seen through the glass portion 3 of the door; said supporting device being pivoted to the door at 6 and the other member 7 thereof being preferably shaped as Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 9, 1909.

Patented Get. 41, 19M).

Serial No. 482,281.

shown and normally resting upon a support- 8 therefor within the box. hen the door is in closed position, this support 8 holds the device horizontally, but when the door is opened the member 7 rides free from said support and the device falls to the position indicated in dotted lines, delivering the key 1:; a. chain 9, of requisite length to permit of the key being carried to the adjacent fire box, securing the same to the box to prevent its being lost or carried away therefrom.

To prevent the door from being accidentally jarred open, I seal the same as shown. A slot 10, in the door closely fits over a post 11 formed on the casing l and projecting through said slot, and a soft metal wire is passed through a hole 12 in said post outside the door. hen a positive pull is given to the door, through the ring handle 13 as shown, the close fitting opening 10 readily shears the soft metal and permits the door to swing open. Should the door refuse to open, the glass 3 may be easily broken to quickly secure the key. But the key being thus easily and quickly secured by anyone, unnecessary or false alarms of fire might be sent in by overhasty or pernicious people, and I have found it advisable to guard against any tampering with this key receptacle. To this end I provide a local gong that will call attention at once upon the opening of the door or the breaking of the glass and at the same time send in a. notice of the opening of the box to a central station or stations. This station may be the nearest police station or the nearest fire company house or both, and may act besides a warning to the police, as a preliminary alarm to the nearest company. And in case the main alarm system is out of order, my special sig nal will then give notice and prevent delay. I will. now describe the preferred apparatus shown in the drawings for accomplishing these objects.

A plate 20 is mounted upon bolting lugs 21 within the casing 1, and carries thereon,

properly spaced therefrom by posts 22, an ordinary spring clock mechanlsm. This mechanism consists of the plates 23 and 24 properly spaced by posts 25, and having a central winding stem 26, the projecting end 27 of which carries fixed thereto a gong 28 as shown. This winding stem 26 is driven by a coil spring 29 through the well known clock gear train shown, to actuate a scape wheel 30, the reciprocated anchor post 31 of which carries a hammer 32 adapted to strike the gong. A spring 33 on said post 31, as shown, counterbalances the weight of the hammer to insure easier running and give a clearer sound to the gong. And to hold the mechanism under tension when the spring is wound up by the winding key 34:, I provide a rod 35 mounted in the plates 23 and 2% and having an enlarged portion 36 as shown adapted to bear against the hammer arm when depressed against the tension of a spring 37, which normally moves said enlarged portion 36 out of the path of the hammer arm. A post 38 on the door 2, preferably, as shown, secured to the glass portion 3 thereof by the screw 39, bears against this rod when the door is closed and depresses the same as shown to hold the clock mechanism idle. lVhen the door is opened or the glass broken, the post 38 is withdrawn from contact with rod 35 and the spring 37 moves the latter to tree the hammer 32 and start the clock mechanism. Holes T0 in the plate 20 are provided as shown to permit the sound of the gong free passage therethrough. It will thus be seen that the fire key held in my box cannot be secured without immediately ringing a loud gong to call attention to the fact. And in order to give notice to the nearest police station or nearest fire company house, I provide an electric signal device. As shown in the drawings this consists of a closed circuit, the signals being made by breaking the circuit and restoring it again. The annular rim of the gong is provided with projections a5 as shown, and a spring pressed finger 46 rides on said rim and is actuated by said projections. This finger 4G is mounted 011 the plate 20, a spring lT therein as shown bearing against an adjustable bolt 48, and a central stem 43 of said finger passing through said bolt is and provided with an adjusting nut L9, said nut as also providing means for actuating said finger independently of the gong rim. This spring finger a6 bears against the insulated end of a spring arm 50, which is substantially U-shaped as shown, its member 51 being secured to the plate 20 by bolts 52 and insulated from said plate and bolts by the nonconducting spacing block 53 and bushings 54 as shown in detail in Fig. 5. One of the bolts 52 is provided with a screw nut 55 for securing the end of one of the circuit wires to the member 51, and a contact point 56 is carried by the other member 50. The other wire of the circuit is secured at 57 to an L-shaped arm 58, insulated from plate 20 in the above described manner, and said arm 58 carries the contact point 59 normally pressed against contact point 56 to close the circuit. It will thus be seen that when the gong 28, carried fixed to the end 27 of the winding stem of the clock mechanism, ro-

tates with said stem when the door is released, the projections 45 on the gong rim will depress the finger &6 and separate the contact points 56 and 59 as shown in Fig. 4. This making and breaking of the circuit will send a signal to the central station or stations, the number and spacings of the projections &5 indicating on the receiving mechanism the location of the box that is being operated.

When the box has been ope 'ated and the spring is run down, it is rewound by means of a key 3% inserted through the hole (55 in the door 2, said hole being provided with a drop cover plate"66 as shown; the door being first closed to depress the locking rod 35, and the key supporting device 5 set in supporting position before the key is inserted in the hole 65. But this winding reverses the turn of the gong and the projections thereon would depress the finger etG and send in a reverse signal to the central station. To avoid this I have adapted the key end when set over the winding stem 26 to depress the extended member 50 of the contact device against the extended end of the arm 58 to keep the circuit closed even when the contact points 56 and are separated by the turning of the gon as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of my improved key receptacle and special signal box will be readily understood in connection with the foregoing description.

When it is desired to ring in a fire alarm, the door to my special box is pulled open, or if it refuses to work, the glass 3 is broken, and the key to the adjacent fire alarm box is secured to open and operate the same. But in the meantime the local gon 28 is ringing, calling attention to the operation of the box, and the revolving gong is sending in a signal over the separate circuit wires to the nearest station.

My device may be made part of the usual fire box, or it. may be placed in public buildings and used as an auxiliary alarm, the key in such cases having no chain to lock it to the box. The gong hammer may be omitted if desired, and the key supporting device done away with, the key being laid in the box. The nut 49 provides means for sending in predetermined signals by hand to the central station after the box is opened.

here fire boxes are used not provided with keys, but have operating handles, my device may be built to cover these handles and s0 protect them against unnecessary operation. And for small fires the operation of my box will be all that is required, the main alarm not being used in such cases, but the nearest company being notified by my special box will promptly respond.

Modifications will readily suggest themselves, and I do not desire to limit myself said main circuit with means for operating each, and separate signaling mechanisms for said special circuit with independent local alarm devices for operating the same.

3. In a fire alarm system comprising a main alarm circuit and an independent special alarm circuit, a station having two independent circuit controlling mechanisms one in each circuit, in combination with controlling means for said main circuit mechanism access to which may be had only by setting in operation the special circuit mechanism.

l. In a fire alarm system comprising a main circuit and an independent special alarm circuit, a signaling mechanism for said main circuit with means for operating the same, and separate signaling mechanism for said special circuit with an independent local alarm device for operating the same.

5. In a fire alarm system comprising a main alarm circuit and an independent special alarm circuit, a station having a circuit controlling mechanism for the main alarm circuit and an independent circuit controlling mechanism with local alarm mechanism for the special alarm circuit, in combination with controlling means for said main circuit mechanism access to which may be had only by setting in operation the special circuit mechanism and local alarm.

(1. In a fire alarm system a main signal key-controlled box having an electric signal circuit, and a special signal box having an independent signal circuit, said special box holding the key to the main box, of mechanism for delivering said key and. automatically operating said independent circuit.

7. In a fire alarm system a main signal key-controlled box having an electric signal circuit, and a special signal box having an independent signal circuit and local alarm, and holding the key to said main box, of mechanism for delivering said key and automatically operating said independent circuit and local alarm.

S. In a fire alarm signal box, the combination with a make-and-brake signaling mechanism and means for automatically op erating the same, of independent means for manually operating said make-and-break mechanism.

9. A box for holding a fire alarm key having a key supporting device pivoted to the door thereof and normally held in key supporting position within the box.

10. In a fire alarm box having a door, an electric signal circuit with inake-and-break contact points, a local alarm gong the rim of which is provided with notches adapted to actuate said make-and-break contact points, means to rotate said gong, and means secured to the door to normally hold said gong at rest.

11. The combination with a fire alarm box having a door and a signal operating mechanism actuated by the opening of said door, of a sealing device comprising a post formed on the box and projecting through a slot in said door, and a soft metal wire passed through a hole in said post outside said door.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signa ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM G. MATTHIAS.

lVitnesses y D. M. STEWART, lV. G. STEWART. 

